Mr Darcy is Diverted
by bella.breen
Summary: In Kindle Unlimited on Amazon-Preview chapters here only. This is a short steamy Pride and Prejudice variation. Fanfiction does not allow MA stories so the steamy parts will be on my website. Elizabeth is irritated with Darcy insulting her at the Assembly. Darcy is irritated with Elizabeth for befriending Wickham.
1. Chapter 1

Mr. Darcy walked on the wooden floor of the Meryton assembly room, his heels making a rhythmic clack-tap as he paced around the perimeter. No one could hear him though for all the noise the uncouth country louts were making as they tried to dance. He glanced away and avoided eye contact with the many matrons lining the walls. Mr. Darcy did not want their attention nor would he pay any compliment to their unwed and rather plain daughters. He also had to avoid catching the eye of the men in the room, as they all wanted to be associated with a man of good fortune and standing.

He snorted as he walked past the pompous and genial Sir William Lucas who did nothing except ask if everyone was having a good time and say 'capital'. The smell of dancing bodies in close quarters along with a mixture of scents worn by the women, was driving a headache deep into Mr. Darcy's skull. This entire thing was a farce, and he regretted Mr. Bingley ever talking him into joining him at this assembly.

Mr. Darcy turned around and walked back the way he had come. He avoided the punch bowl and refreshments for he could be easily trapped there and have to listen to some matron detail the qualifications of her unaccomplished and plain daughter. The only beautiful country miss he had seen was the one that Mr. Bingley was conversing with. Mr. Darcy rolled his eyes.

Mr. Bingley fell in love every month without fail. Everywhere they went there was a new women Mr. Bingley was sure he would marry but after a few weeks the obsession would fade. This time it was that eldest Bennet girl. She was uncommonly pretty, but that did not mean she would make a good wife or had good enough connections to marry.

It was unlucky for Mr. Darcy that the country dance had finished and Mr. Bingley headed towards him. He was all big smiles, engaging in conversation with everyone he passed and finding everyone wonderful.

"Darcy," said Mr. Bingley, "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."

Mr. Darcy stared at his friend, who had the detestable habit of trying to make everyone surrounding him just as happy and loving everyone and everything as he did.

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged and there is not another woman in the room who it would not be a punishment to stand up with." It was harsh, more harsh than what he normally would have said, but the utter lack of propriety in these people especially that Mrs. Bennet had already driven him beyond the bend.

"I have never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening, and there are several of them uncommonly pretty." cried Mr. Bingley.

Oh for blazes and damnation. Had he started a new obsession already? "You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room" said Mr. Darcy. That should put Bingley off this preposterous idea of him dancing and instead distract him with his latest love.

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! There is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you."

Mr. Darcy raised an eyebrow. He had not noticed another girl in the room that looked anything like the girl that Bingley had chosen. "Which do you mean?"

Turning around he looked for a moment at the young woman sitting there on the bench, one of the Bennet girls. He withdrew his own and coldly said "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me. I am in no humor present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles for you are wasting your time with me."

Mr. Darcy closed his eyes and wished again that he had never accepted Bingley's invitation and was instead at Netherfield enjoying a warm fire and a good book. He would have never been so rude around his own class in town or even in Derbyshire, but this county he could not stand.

Mr. Bingley followed his advice and walked off to be with his partner. Mr. Darcy stood scowling at his friend's back until that Bennet girl that had sat on the bench behind him, brushed by in front of him with a smile.

Mr. Darcy scowled after her and realized that he had been overheard by her. That made him even more irritated for he had always prided himself on acting like a gentleman at all times and yet he had insulted her. And not only had he insulted the girl, but she was not plain or ugly and he was actually admiring her backside as she quickly walked away from him.

He watched as she stopped a group of girls, spoke and then all laughed. Just his luck to insult the only girl at the assembly that stirred his interest. Mr. Darcy turned and stormed off to the punch table. He dared any matron to trap him in this mood. He needed a strong drink to get through the rest of tonight.

—

"Well, that lowers his estimation in my eyes, Lizzy," Charlotte said "for you are one of the most beautiful women in Hertfordshire."

Elizabeth laughed. What poppycock. "Oh Charlotte, do be serious. There are many beautiful girls here tonight. I daresay Mr. Darcy must have worked hard to be this disagreeable in such a happy setting such as this. I will pay him no mind from here on. He can have no consequence in my life and I certainly shall have none in his."

She knew no one could see through her happy visage to the pang she felt in her chest. The insult was hard to bear especially because the man was quite handsome.

Charlotte looked sharply at her friend. "I feel I should give you some advice, Lizzy. Make sure you do not make sport of him for he is a man ten times your consequence and could cause problems."

She loved Charlotte but their views on many subjects were quite different. "Oh Charlotte, there is no danger of that. He will have nothing to do with me. You are much too serious and concerned about these matters. Come, let us go over to Jane, see how she is doing and meet the Mr. Bingley she has monopolized all evening."

Elizabeth was happy to see how attentive Mr. Bingley was to her sister and like her naturally optimistic and cheerful attitude, thoughts of that man's insult were quickly forgotten.

That evening all the Bennet females discussed all parts of the assembly while Mr. Bennet begged them not to discuss any more of it within his hearing. The girls continued their discussions upstairs as they got ready for bed.

"Lizzy, I am sorry for what Mr. Bingley's friend said about you." Elizabeth sighed as she had cheerfully removed every thought of that earlier scene before now. "I am sure he must have had bad news that day to put him in such a disagreeable mood. He probably is not normally like that, not if he is a friend of Mr. Bingley's."

Elizabeth looked aside at her sister with raised eyebrows as she continued to braid her hair. "Jane, even you cannot find the good in a man that would be so rude in front of a woman he had just been introduced to. This was the first time he had been in public and he chose to say that! Know there is nothing you can do to make his behavior in my eyes for it was absolutely horrendous."

Jane did not say anything else about Mr. Darcy but did mention that it was unusual for two men of so different attitudes to be friends and perhaps Mr. Darcy was not as bad as they all thought. Elizabeth rolled her eyes, pulled the covers up and lay in bed. If there was one fault, she wished Jane would stop it would be her propensity to see the good in everyone, even people that did not deserve it.


	2. Chapter 2

With the militia having recently moved headquarters into Meryton, the town was aflutter with talk of the handsome officers. The Bennet daughters had recently made the acquaintance of a new officer that was quite handsome and a perfect gentleman, Mr. Wickham. He was especially interested in Elizabeth and planned to dance a set with her at the Lucas gathering that week.

Elizabeth was excited for the Lucas gathering as she would dance with the handsome officer in front of Mr. Darcy. There were better gentlemen than himself that did want to dance with her. Mr. Wickham had also informed her of his treatment at the hands of Mr. Darcy back in Derbyshire. She thought Mr. Wickham should have called him out or made it known that Mr. Darcy failed to keep the accordance of the terms of his father's will. How dreadful for someone to have so much money and refuse to give it to the person they legally owed.

She asked the maid, shared with Jane, to make her hairstyle intricate with pearl pins inserted throughout. Elizabeth wanted to look beautiful, her best for Mr. Wickham and to spite Mr. Darcy. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she imagined the officer's gentlemanly attentions to her right in front of Mr. Darcy.

As the Bennet family walked into Lucas Lodge, and Elizabeth conversed with Charlotte, it had never entered her mind that Mr. Wickham would not be there. But after she had looked over the open rooms and had not yet seen him, the beginnings of a worry trickled through her happiness.

When Lt. Denny approached and confirmed that his friend thought it better to not appear when somebody else had been invited, and with a pause he looked right at Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth realized all her work to look fetching that night had been for naught.

"And so he cannot even come to a happy gathering for fear of what Mr. Darcy will do to him!" Elizabeth frowned and searched out Mr. Darcy's profile in the room.

Charlotte grabbed her arm and leaned in. "Be careful, Lizzy. You have only heard one side of the story from Mr. Wickham. Make sure that is the truth before you slight a man worth more than ten times than him."

Elizabeth frowned at her best friend, as she had expected Charlotte to agree with her. "I could not care less if he was five hundred times his consequence. I would not have anything to do with him even then. How dare he behave in such a manner to someone less better off than him! He should be scorned and shunned and driven out of England. No one should behave in such a-"

Charlotte stepped on her foot and coughed.

Elizabeth turned and faced the exact man she detested.

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet, if I may have your hand for the next two dances?"

Elizabeth flattened her lips and dug her fingers into her dress. She was just about to tell him no when she felt her right foot squashed under Charlotte's foot, her pinkie toe especially smashed.

"Why... yes, sir?"

Mr. Darcy bowed then turned and walked away.

Elizabeth turned her back to the receding Mr. Darcy and groaned. "Why did I do that? I vowed to have nothing to do with him!"

"I think you did the right thing, Lizzy. It would not do for you to spite someone as powerful as him."

She closed her eyes so Charlotte would not see the glare directed at her. Her friend had always been more interested in status and wealth than her. Elizabeth felt character was more important, something Mr. Darcy was obviously lacking.

—

Mr. Darcy stood near the wall consumed with what he had overheard. He was quite sure they had been discussing him. Elizabeth had been doing it much too brown by Wickham. He kept a scowl off his visage so that no one would know the depth of his emotions regarding them both, though opposite emotions for each.

He was disappointed in Elizabeth. She was intelligent with a quick mind but not enough to realize Wickham had turned her into a gudgeon. Mr. Darcy quickly corrected the downturn his lips had taken.

He had to admit that he was also disappointed in himself for his boorish behavior at the first assembly. How he regretted stating that Elizabeth was not handsome enough to tempt him for his opinion of her had been incorrect and he had grown to realize how wrong it had been with each passing moment near her. If he got through their dances without showing a cock stand, he would be betwattled.

The quartet finished playing and dancers were walking off to find refreshments while Mr. Darcy pushed through the crowd to collect Elizabeth. She gave him a quick curtsy without looking at his countenance but Mr. Darcy. He rose an eyebrow at the boorish behavior as he knew enough about her to know the slight was not accidental.

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth stood facing each other in separate lines as this was a country row dance that was popular. He flattened his lips and stared at her as she looked everywhere but directly at him. She should not be so boorish to her dance partner, principally because he was far superior to her and had paid a compliment by asking her to dance.

He waited in his line as the other couples performed their parts. There was enough time for them to converse before they would need to dance. He did not like talking to strangers that he did not know well, but he had a perverse desire to speak to Elizabeth knowing it would flame her ire.

"Are you enjoying the ball, Miss Elizabeth?" He fought to keep a smug smirk off his countenance as Elizabeth pursed her lips and finally looked right at him. She could not refuse to answer him unless she wanted to cause her reputation to suffer.

"I do always manage to enjoy myself wherever I am."

Mr. Darcy tip one side of his lips up. He opened his mouth to find that Elizabeth had not finished.

"I do find myself enjoying people no matter where I go, even if I do not know them well or may not find their figure pleasing." Miss Elizabeth finished with an arched eyebrow.

Mr. Darcy swallowed, clenched his hands and then released them. He could do nothing but concentrate on slowing his breathing, calming his body so his manhood would not embarrass him. Blazes, he had not had this problem since he was a lad! Unfortunately his usual methods were not working. He felt sweat forming on the back of his hands. He had to take drastic measures before both lines turned to him and Elizabeth for their part of the dance and noticed his breeches sticking out.

He looked away and imagined that vulgar, common, Mrs. Bennet at the first assembly he attended in Meryton. Her loud, screeching, her lack of decorum and propriety, her loudly criticizing him. That did exactly as Mr. Darcy had hoped and he again looked the part of a gentleman by the time he and his partner were to dance.

The warmth of her hand was felt through Mr. Darcy's gloves. Her scent, a light rose with what had to be her personal scent went straight to his groin. He should look away, contain himself and get some control but he could not stop staring at her angry visage. She was captivating and alluring even in her anger. Mr. Darcy finally had to look away and again think of her mother or his breeches would soon give away his thoughts.

"Do you have anything to say, Mr. Darcy? Normally couples speak when they dance."

Her attempt to needle him brought an upward tilt to the corners of his mouth. She did not back down from a challenge. Instead of irritating him, she instead did the opposite. How would she react if she knew what she did to him?

"I do not speak much with those I do not know."

Elizabeth glanced up with narrowed eyes. "How do you pass the time while dancing? Are you forever quiet and not attempting to learn about your dance partner?"

Mr. Darcy narrowed his eyes at her. Was he not doing just that exercise, trying to learn about her? "I do not have so easy a time of speaking with strangers as some do. I suppose it is something I could work on."

She looked back at me with a twinkle in her eye, causing her beauty to magnify more than a hundred-fold. Mr. Darcy missed a step in the dance.

"I have made a new acquaintance in the militia. I believe you may know him, a Mr. Wickham?"

If there was anything she could have said that would have guaranteed an immediate cessation of happiness in Mr. Darcy, it was that name. It would be some time before his anger and bitterness regarding that man ceased. "Yes, I heard that you have made friends with him. It is quite easy for him to make friends though not the same for him to keep them."

Her eyes flashed. "It is a pity more are not his friend and less than he deserves. I wonder if someone had a part in that?"

Mr. Darcy looked away, furious at that lout Wickham. This was not the first time he had been confronted with lies shared by Wickham regarding the will his treatment of Wickham. This time was different as the object of his desire was the one angered on behalf of that worthless cad. "You seem much involved in that man's personal affairs. I give you advice that you do not spend any more time in his company for it could prove dangerous and harmful to yourself."

The dance concluded their conversation which was a relief for both parties. Mr. Darcy bowed and stalked out of the ballroom to cool his temper on the balcony. His ire at Elizabeth's ability to hold her own and challenge him faded as his anger at the one that lied grew. He would not let those lies stand. Elizabeth would know the truth about him.

* * *

It's been up a week so on 6/21 the last several chapters will be removed. The final version is up on Amazon. Or on Gumroad for a 30% discount. gumroad DOT com / bellabreen The author is Demi Monde on Amazon. Or it's all up on my website (but not professionally edited) to still read for free at www DOT bellabreen DOT com.


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